Flash socket for incandescent electric lamps



May 18,1926. 1,585,580

A. K. WIHANTO FLASH SOCKET FOR INCANDESCENT ELECTRIC LAMPS Filed May 10 1924 INVENTOR WITNESS: ATTORNEY Patented May 18, 1926.

UNiTED STATES ADOLPH. K. WIHANTO, OF JAMAICA PLAIN, MASSACHUSETTS.

FLASH SOCKET FOB INCANDESCEN'T ELECTR IG, LAMPS.

Application filed may 10, 1924. Serial No. 712,345.

My present invention pertains 'to sockets for incandescent velectric lamps, and con templates the provision of a socket provided with new and improved equipments for causing the filament of the lamp attached to its socket, to be alternately lighted and extinguished so as to afford flashes of light.

Other objects and practical advantages of the invention will be fully understood from the following description and claim when the same are read in connection with the drawings, accompanying and forming part of this specification, in which Figure l is a side elevation showing my novel socket associated with a portion of an incandescent electric lamp bulb.

Figure 2 is a diametrical section of the socket constituting the preferred embodiment of my invention, said section being taken in the plane indicated by the line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a section taken in the plane indicated by the line 33 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a detail enlar ed perspective of the thermostatic arm 0 my improvements.

Figure 5 is an enlarged detail perspective of the conductive support comprised in the improvements.

Figure 6 is a cross-section taken in the plane indicated by the line 6-6 of Figure 3.

Figure 7 is a diagrammatic view illustrative of my invention.

Similar numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all of the views of the drawings.

The incandescent electric lamp bulb 1 shown in Figure 1 may be and preferably is of any of the ordinary well known constructions and need not therefore, be further described here. My novel socket is clearly illustrated in Fi ures 1 to 3 and 6, and by reference to sai figures it will be noticed that among other elements the socket comprises a dielectric body 2, having a threaded ferrule to fit an ordinary electric light socket and a threaded ferrule 3 for connection of the bulb 1.

Through the side wall of the body 2 is a threaded conductive screw 4, the head 5 of which is preferably of dielectric material,

for obvious reasons, the said screw 4 being threaded at 6 through the conductive support 7 pendent in the body 2. At its up er end the said support or arm 7 is provided with an angularly disposed portion 8 in which is a large opening 9 for the reception of a dielectric washer 10, which, in turn, receives a conductive screw 11, headed at its lower end and extending upwardly through the upper end of the body 2 and equipped above the body with a nut 12.

At 13 the body 2 is provided with a grounding conductor which extends partly within and partly exterior of the body 2, and each end makes connections between the two connector threads as shown in Figures 1 and 2. Q

In addition to the elements referred to my novel device comprises a thermostatic metal arm 14 best shown in Figure 4. The said arm 14' is formed of a layer 16 of iron and a layer 15 of brass.

The arm 14 is provided at its upper end with an 'angularly disposed apertured portion 18 which receives the screw 11 after the manner shown in Figure 3, as will be presently described.

The arm 14 is covered throughout its length with asbestos 19, and coiled about the asbestos 19 is a heater wire 20, and a metal clip 21 is attached to the lower end of arm 14 over the asbestos and one terminal of the heater wire terminates at the clip 21 which by tension of the arm 14 is in electric connection with the adjusting screw 4 carried by the conductive arm 7. The other terminal of the heater coil is electrically in connection with the screw 11 which screw, in turn, is designed to ,be connected with a source of electric energy.

The arm 14 is adapted to move out of and into contact with the screw 4, out of contact by heat of the heater coil, and in to contact by the tension of the thermostatic arm 14. The clip 21 is inclined at 22 shown in Figures 3 and 4 so as to have a sort of wiping motion as it moves out and into contact along and against the smooth end of the screw 4. Such a wiping motion will manifestly and positively prevent carbonization of the contact points which is an important feature and in that way will contribute to serviceability.

In the practical use of my improvements it will be understood that when the parts are arranged as shown in Figures 1 and 7, and current is supplied to the conductive screw 11, the current will pass through heater wire 20 and to the conductor clip 21 and to the adjusting screw 4 and the arm 7, it being understood that in. this connection the anguillld lar lower portion 23 of the arm 7 is in contact with one of the terminals of the filament of the lamp, then through the lamp filament to the ground in ordinarily well known manner. Incident to said passage of current the filament of the lamp will brightly glow, at the same time the heater wire heats the thermostatic arm 14 which causes the thermostatic arm 14 to expand,'this expansion breaks the contact between the screw 4: and clip 21 whereupon the current cannot pass to the filament, hence the extinguishing of the light. This condition will obtain until the thermostatic arm 14 cools down and its tension brings the-portion 21' again in to contact with the smooth ended screw 4 so as to make the contact as it ultimately will. Then the filament of the lamp will be caused to brightly glow until the arm 14 is again heated sufiiciently to move 21 out of engagement with screw 1. Manitestly by turning the adjusting screw 4 relative "to normal po-' sition of the clip 21 the length of the mtcrvals between the fiashings or bright glowing of the filament of the lamp may be increased or diminished.

By particular reference to Figure 3 it will be observed that the asbestos 19 covers entirely the thermostatic arm lei up to the angularly disposed portion 18. At is insulating material preferably mica washer, said insulation having a hole in it and receives the screw 11 thrust through the aperture in portion 18 of the thermostatic arm 14: and then receiving the angularly dispo sed portion 8 together with dielectric washer 10 of the con ductive arm 7 so as to adequately insulate said portions 18 and 8 from each other, and then again a dielectric washer is inserted to the screw and a nut tightens these in to one union,having the coil 20 and clip 21 also attached. Then the screw 11 is thrust through the hole on top of dielectric body 2 and nut 12 tightened up. The adjusting screw 4 is then inserted and the flasher is ready for use.

Notwithstanding the practical advantages of my novel devices as pointed out in the foregoing, it will be noted that the device is simple and inexpensive in construction and is exceptionally well adapted to perform its duty and to withstand the usage to a supe rior degree to which electrical devices are ordinarily subjected.

l have entered into a detailed description of the construction and relative arrangements of the parts embraced in the present and preferred embodiments of my invention in order to impart a full, clear and exact understanding of the said embodiments. I do not desire, however, to be understood as confining myself to the specific construction and relative arrangement of parts inasmuch as in the future practice of the invention various changes and modifications may be made such as fall within the scope of my invention as defined in my appended claim.

It is to be understood that the thickness of the heater wire is determined by the use to which the socket is put, the wire in some cases being thicker than in others.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, 1s

A flasher socket for incandescent electric lamps comprising a body, threaded ferrules secured to the ends of said body and adapted to be received in a lamp socket and receive a lamp respectively, means passing through a portion, of said body for electrically connecting said ferrules, a threaded screw depending within and from the upper portion of said body, a conductive supporting arm fixed to said screw and depending therefrom with an opening arranged therein adjacent its lower end, a thermostatic arm also secured to said screw and depending in parallelism with said conductive supporting arm, said thermostatic arm being insulated from'tiie conductive supporting arm, asbestos covering said thermostatic arm for a distance of its length, a heater wire surrounding said thermostatic arm and fixed to said screw at one end, a clip fixed to the lower end of said thermostatic arm and receiving the opposite end of said wire, and a conductive screw passing through said body and opening of the conductive supporting arm respectively, and being adjusta ly associated with said clip for causing the flash of the lamps as described.

In testimony whereof I atfix my signature.

ADOLPH K. WIHANTO.

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